Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-04
the scene Of raid by strikers during
the trouble in 1882. The Italians then
at work were stampeded and two OF
them drowned
Training Falcons.

any Of that in your country"
Itch MS something about that. How
do they get one bird 10 catch another 2
never had the thing explained, and
doubtless but few people now in this
country know anything about it. 1t
must be exceedingly interesting"
$50 it is, my friend, and the train
ing of the birds is not the least in
teresting part, either The rules lad
down in the books on training falcon
provide that, as in training horse or
dog, one person should take entire
charge Of the bird, at least until well
broken, The method ordinarily adopted
briefly is as follows: At first the efforts
should be principally toward rendering
the bird quiet and tame in .confine-
ment. To this end she should be
handled asmuch as possible and stroked
with feather, using the voice fire.
quently, ond especially at feeding-time.
With a wild-caught falcon this is slow
work at first; the bird may refuse to eat
for day or two, and for some time
her trimming will have TO be
conducted in almost total darkness. A
leather hood is placed over the head,
and the bird must become accustomed
to having this put on and taken off at
all times, even when feeding, as well
as to feeding with or without it, ut first
in the dark and then finally i'll broad
daylight and in the presence Of per-
sons. Then, step by step, she must
grow accustomed to all sorts of noise
and confusion. rs well as learn to know
the voice Of her master, and come at
his call. All this time a Jess Strap
will be kept on each leg, and when
carried about she will perch on the
glove or wristlet of her keeper.
If more liberty be desired, a line
may be fastened to the straps
and its length increased as de-
sired Up to this she has only received
food from the hand; now she must be
made to 90 to it, and this is easily man
aged by letting her see il at a distance
of few feet, but refusing to give it TO
her until she jumps or flies towards it.
After she will thus go fifteen or twenty
yards without fail, the line may be taken
of, and the bird taught TO fly to her
food from a much greater distance
even half mile at least. II the food
so far used can be flesh Of the game she
is to be trained for, SO much the better;
and after she has caught few pigeons,
or other birds released from the hand,
under favorable circumstances, she
may be tried on wild game. After q
little practice it will be found that the
moment a falcon is unhooded in the
open air and set free she will imme-
diately rise to considerable height
and circle about on the lookout for her
accustomed food. This is called wait
ing on, and if she has not been released
until the dog has pointed, the game
may now be flushed, and the falcon
will be pretty certain to make a success
ful stoop and kill her bird, in which
case she must at once be hooded. She
should then either be allowed to eat a
little off the game killed, or else some
other food must be substituted.
"Should she fail ~ kill her game at
the first plunge, and the bird takes TO
the grass again, it must be flushed as
quickly rs possible, as a good falcon
will swat Oh again until offered
another chance to strike.
Gin training hawks the faleoner
should always bear in mind not only
the kinds of game which the bird is best
fitted to take, but also the kinds which
can conveniently be hunted in his i'm
mediate neighborhood.
"The heron was always favorita
with falconers on account of the good
exhibition which the flight afforded.
The best place for this kind of sport is
in on open, treeless ground, over which
the herons are accustomed to fly at
considerable height in passing between
their feeding grounds and their nests
or roosting places. When attacked by
q falcon under such circumstances the
heron seeks safety by rising high in the
air, and so long as it can keep above
its pursuer it has nothing to fear Both
birds ascend in spirals, bnt the heron,
with her light body and broad, concave
wings, can rise in smaller rings than
the falcon. The latter, therefore, de-
scribes a much wider circle, and, ira
Yelling with tremendous speed, and
using her powerful wings at every
turn, gains rapidly upon the quarry.
Thus the struggle is steadily carrying
both birds higher and higher, while the
Spectators, in order to keep the race in
sight and be in at the death, must gal
Top down wind across country until
they see that the falcon has ut last
got the sky OF her victim and
is about to stoop. All eyes watch |
eagerly now, and the height is
often so great that the two birds !
seem hardly larger than a couple of |
unequal-sized bees. For an instant the |
upper one seems to hang suspended and
motiOnless, then shoots with incredible |
swiftness and unnerring aim on the |
doomed heron. The blow may be |
averted at first, but this is rarely posi-
BILE more than few times, for the long
struggle for position has left little
strength for any effort, and SO the
falcon strikes fair on her back, either
killing instantly by die mere shock of
collision, as is usually the case with a
smaller bird, or more slowly, but with
unequal certainty, by the driving home
Of the long-curved talons, while both
birds come whrling toward the earth,
the falcon above, and striving with out
spread wings to break the force Of the
TALL. The falconer now runs forward
and slips the hood over the falcons
head, after which she is fed, usually
with game freshly killed for the pur-
pose, which she is often allowed to eat
while perched on the body of the heron.
Ireland.